These comments about the kids at Kariba over the past
week are very disturbing and we, as a society, need to implement measures to change the mind set of kids worldwide. – Similar
things happen in Australia every year at their “Schoolies” week after exams
finish. The worrying thing for us it that these same kids will probably carry
on with this drinking culture in Harare
for the rest of the school holidays – hence our urgent need for them to start
using taxis when socialising and prevent them taking the family car out to
impress their mates / girlfriends etc – Mike G
.......
We were aboard a houseboat Monday and
Tuesday. On arrival at Palm Bay we
were greeted by a disgusting mess of floating
bottles, chip packets, plastic bags and discarded fruit etc. Two St
Johns College (Johannesburg) boys who were with us were astonished at this
total disregard for the environment, including animals that might choke on
the rubbish. The same boys filled two large black bin liners with the
garbage immediately around the boat. The crew
were appalled. Yesterday on our journey home, as we awaited the
passing of a house boat down the Kariba road, we were surrounded by the sight
of boys and girls some of whom were clearly not old enough to have been
drinking legally, cavorting about in a feral manner dressed in the
bare minimum of clothing and generally exuding a
disgusting level of arrogance. None greeted us in the way we have
come to know from Zim school kids. Sadly sparing the rod in our once great
schools has evidently spoilt the child. The parents
of these children will be ashamed at this disgusting
behaviour and trust that Marineland and the houseboat owners who profit from
these ventures will engage in responsible charter policy in future, including
the banning supply of alcohol to minors and prosecuting those who purchase it
on their behalf.
This nonsense needs to be nipped
in the bud now. Can the culprits be named
and shamed, so that the boats that were
genuine and behaved are not held responsible. My son is on an O level boat and
although is only back today I would like to think he was not a part of any of
this.
…………..
I note the
comment below about the kids using fire crackers on Antelope Island. I was one
of the parents on board one of those boats, luckily I was not present on the
4th of December as we left the party and travelled home that day. However, the
second night (2nd Dec) we were in Palm Bay, and I was utterly disgusted with the amount of litter that the
kids left not only on shore, but in the water the next morning. I personally
got off the boat with my kids and crew members and started to collect the
litter which I might add also consisted of several
broken bottles. Sadly only a HANDFUL of kids from the surrounding
boats came to help us, the rest had the attitude of "it's not my
problem". I asked a couple of the boys to get on their tender boat and
collect the rubbish out the water which we could not reach and they did,
however they missed the plastic water bottles that had been blown further down
by the wind. I would also like to add at this point, that both crew members and
parents on ALL the other boats did nothing but watch us! Our last night we had
in Nayodza, but left early morning to get back to harbour & travel back to
Harare so did not see how much rubbish was left behind there, however during
the early hours of the morning a group of young boys that were moored next to
thought it incredibly funny to throw eggs at our boat. Not only did we, but our
captain also had to shout at them to stop. The next morning that boat moved off
early without any word of apology to us, without any repercussion to the boys
on board!
It is such
a privilege life style that we have here that we can afford to take our
children on such an extreme party trip, but there are responsibilities that
come with it too. Very sad to see that parents and children were not interested
in looking after their heritage for the future generations to come!
.............
hope that the kids on those houseboats and the
houseboat owners, were heavily fined for their
actions. maybe they will think next time.
.............
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